She didn't remember much getting into the court room. Everything was black and spotty. She saw faces. Camera's. Bright lights flashing, making her headache worse. She remembered not being able to breathe. Suffocation weaving itself around her lungs so that they could no longer move until she blinked and they were in the court room.
It felt more like a cathedral. The roof was so high that Elizabeth wondered how it didn't penetrate the earth, revealing itself to the muggles above. Candles were lit, floating 2/3's of the way up, just like at Hogwarts.
People had flooded into the vast courtroom. They had picked the largest one, due to its publicity. As she realised this, Elizabeth wanted to throw up. They were all here to see Sirius Black die.
Publicists and journalists, authors, philosophers, alchemists, writers- they were all there to see his public execution. They'd watched the Black family burn, and now they were paying to witness the ashes be blown away into the wind. It wasn't fair. None of it was.
Elizabeth and Remus had been instructed by a Ministry worker to sit in the witness box. She saw faces there that she knew. Dumbledore, sitting at the end, Severus next to him. She was surprised to see Horace Slughorn, her old potions teacher, with Madam Hooch and McGonagall. Atticus was there, Emmeline Vance, Madam Pomfrey. She was sure that she heard James whisper her name.
Elizabeth watched the wide doors, as people kept streaming in. She saw a few more faces. Narcissa and Lucious Malfoy, Ted and Andromeda, Professor Trelawney. Finally, Hagrid's tall statue turned the corner, and when he walked through the doors, Elizabeth saw him guiding Hermione, Ron and Harry.
Elizabeth stood, climbing down the steps of the witness box to meet Harry.
She hugged him, wordlessly, and took his hand, leading the group back to the witness box.
"Yer alright?", Hagrid asked.
Elizabeth nodded, unsurely. She knew if she spoke then tears would form in her eyes and her throat would close over with the sickly feeling of sadness.
Elizabeth sat back down next to Remus, Harry on the otherside of her.
"Hello Harry,", Remus greeted, shaking his hand across Elizabeth.
"Hello, Mr Lupin", Harry answered politely.
Elizabeth saw the fear struck across his face. He'd already lost his father, he didn't deserve to lose another.
And finally Elizabeth broke, a tear escaping her left eye. She dug her head into Remus' shoulder, holding her breathe to force back to stinging tears. It wasn't fair it wasn't fair. None of it was fair.
When she looked up, the judge had taken his seat. A fiery man, with tall eyebrows and pursed lips. He was speaking to one of the journalists who was shouting from below his podium. How could they be making such a show out of it? Sirius' life was no circus.
The judge said something strictly to the journalist, and he turned away. The man lifted up his gavel and threw it against the podium, erupting a loud knocking bang.
"Silence!", he roared. With his cry, the whole courtroom went quiet. Elizabeth sunk into her seat, bitting her thumb. It took only a few seconds for everyone to stop talking, with the judge's sly eyes glaring at the audience of his show.
"I, Barnibus Turner, hereby decree the beginning of the trial to commit Mr Sirius Orion Black of his crimes. Let the truth win out", he announced, banging his gavel once more. Everyone remained silent.
Elizabeth thought that she was going to faint.
"I shall now read the total charges of the accused, Sirius Black. Conspiring with Death Eaters, section 403 of the Ministry Criminal act, Conspiracy to murder as a Death Eater, section 403.8 of the Ministry Criminal act, Conspiracy of murder, section 4.23 of the Ministry Criminal act, public destruction, section 102.5 of the Ministry Criminal act, Conspiring to reveal the wizarding world to those of muggle status, section 1 of the Ministry Criminal act, Revealing to the muggle the existence of wizardry through dangerous acts, section 1.4 of the Ministry Criminal act. Evasion of Aurors, section 10 of the Ministry Criminal act. Conspiring and associating with the Dark Lord, formerly known as Lord Voldemort, section 400 of the Ministry Criminal act. Conspiring to escape Azkaban prison, section 23 of the Ministry Criminal act, escaping Azkaban prison, section 23.5 of the Ministry Criminal act", Judge Turner stopped, looking up from his sheet of paper, across at the hundreds of spectators that sat buzzingly in the courtroom.
YOU ARE READING
The Godmother
FanfictionFor 13 years, Elizabeth Potter remained in the confines of shadows. Surviving as a breath, no more than a person, she lived between the gaps of both the Wizarding and the muggle worlds. But as a new task awakens her fastened slumber, she is thrown...
